Slipspace: Harbinger

by P. C. Haring

  “Captain Amado, it’s good to hear from you. I was starting to get worried. Were you able to obtain the supplies from the convoy?”

  Cody sighed. “Not exactly, General. Things did not go well. I lost twenty-one of my crew. I have more injured, some permanently.”

  “What happened out there?”

  “Don’t you already know?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “It was you who sent us out there. You didn’t have any suspicion as to what we might find when we got there?”

  Rashar crossed her arms. “What exactly happened?”

  Either she was playing stupid and patronizing him, or she was truly ignorant of what was going on. The urge to yell at her tugged at him. Cody chose the safer course of action drew in a breath before filling her in on the mission.

  By the time he wrapped up Rashar had fallen dead silent.

  “I don’t know what this is all about, General. But the case could be made that we were lured into that ambush intentionally.”

  “How dare you?” she said, her words slow and dark. “How dare you impose on our hospitality, and then turn on me by accusing me of collusion with the Ralgon!”

  “I said no such thing, General. But I would be lying if I said that theory has not come up.”

  Rashar held her silence.

  “General, if you want to keep our relationship on solid and productive grounds, you have to give me something I can work with. Your word and a sad story are no longer enough. I have a ship in pieces, a crew on edge, twenty-one dead and even more wounded. I haven’t yet made my report to my superiors back home, but when I do they are going to demand answers.

  Rashar exhaled, lowering her head in concession. “I would too if the situation was reversed, Captain. You have my apologies for the incident, and my sympathies for your loss. Under normal circumstances, I would offer you aid, but right now I have more pressing issues that must take priority.”

  Amado scoffed. “That’s not going to be good enough, General. I can’t accept excuses.”

  Rashar waved her hand, dismissing his comments. “This isn’t an excuse, Captain. After you left, I received intelligence that indicates the Verasai are advancing on our territory again. They are coming to Surahan in force.” She paused as her attention was drawn to something happening out of the sight of the recorder capturing the general’s image for holographic display. “Standby, please, Captain.”

  Amado offered no response as Rashar stepped out of the view, leaving Amado to stare at an empty field, his frustration mounting with every passing second.

  “I apologize, Captain,” Rashar said, stepping back into view. “We’ve got a lot going on over here. Evacuations are already underway but going extremely slow, as you might imagine.”

  He’d seen it so many times before during the war with the Ralgon. Any time they could get enough advanced notice of an impending attack, the Alliance would do everything possible to evacuate the noncombatants and then defend them when the Ralgon descended. Despite that, so many lives had been lost trying to hold back the Ralgon advance from an indefensible position.

  “Can you defend Surahan?”

  He regretted the question. Any momentum he had from his anger over the incident at the convoy had now been lost. Was this a ploy of hers to throw him off?

  “We’re going to make every effort to do that. But I have to recall Colonel Valeer.”

  “He’s your man, General. You don’t need my permission to recall him.”

  Rashar nodded. “And I need to ask another favor of you, Captain.”

  Amado had to stop himself from laughing at the sheer absurdity of the General. “You can’t be serious, General!” The anger had returned. Good. “After what happened at the convoy you can’t possibly expect me to lift another finger on your behalf without some answers.”

  “As I said, Captain, I have more pressing priorities at the moment.”

  “That is not good enough. If your priorities are too important that you cannot provide what I need to make some sense of this attack, then I cannot put this ship and her crew at risk on your behalf again.”

  “Even in the name of humanitarian aid?”

  Pounce. He had to give her credit. In one statement, she hid her stalling in the shroud of duty. Even if he wanted to tell her to shove it, he could not. He only hoped that Cassie would refrain from mutiny.

  “Damn you...” he muttered. “Fine. I’ll hear your request, General, but I make no promises.”

  “Very well, then. As you know, the convoy we sent you to find was supposed to bring supplies back to us. Mostly food, medicines, repair tools, and spare parts. Unfortunately, with its loss and this pending attack, we are in even more desperate need than we were even a day ago.”

  Cody nodded. The hologram of Rashar reached for a small remote and pressed a button. Almost immediately the image of Rashar, was replaced by a star chart. Within the image, a single point in space blinked.

  “This is your location.” A second light started blinking. “This is Surahan station.” Another pause and another light blinking, this one between the points designated for the ship and the station. “This point,” Rashar continued, “is Kelten station. Originally it was a research outpost, later a strategic military command and control center before it was decommissioned and converted into a supply and weapons depot. It has also been long since ignored by both the Verasai and the Ralgon.”

  Amado already knew where this was going.

  “The convoy you intercepted was scheduled to stop at Kelten, fill its holds as much as possible, and deliver all the cargo here to Surahan. If you only recovered a fraction of what the convoy had before it resupplied, then what you have is insufficient for our immediate needs. I need the resources stockpiled at Kelten. It’s not too far off your current course, and I can’t spare a Remali ship to make the run. I need you to alter your course, take your ship to Kelten, empty it out and bring its inventory back.”

  Amado narrowed his eyes. “I will not bring Remali weapons aboard my ship...”

  Rashar’s hand flew up, silencing him. “I’m not asking you to, Captain. We’re going to abandon the weapons. But I need every crate of the humanitarian supplies you can cram into your ship”

  “How soon?”

  “We estimate the Verasai will be here in three days. I need you back here before then. Beyond that the schedule is your discretion as long as you promise to return with our cargo.”

  Amado heaved a sigh as his conscience screamed that he could not refuse this request. Still, his acceptance would come at a price.

  “Fine, but I want three things from you in return. First, you will provide me with a full inventory listing of that station so I know exactly which containers to tell my people to take, and which to ignore.”

  Rashar keyed into a handheld on her desk. “Done. Next?”

  “Second, you will provide me with every access code I’ll need to board and move about that station and access its inventory computer.”

  Rashar turned at that, “I’ll make sure Valeer uploads them to your system before he leaves.”

  He had to consider that for a moment. If there was something going on and the Remali were a threat, he couldn’t let Valeer have direct access to the computer systems. But he could put the codes on a tablet for them.

  “Agreed.”

  “Your last requirement, Captain?”

  “When we return, before I unload a single canister, you will deliver to me objective and incontrovertible proof that you are not allied with the Ralgon. If you fail to make that delivery, I will come about and depart, claiming your cargo as reparations to the families of my deceased crew, and to my government as compensation for the damage we sustained in your defense. Am I clear?”

  Rashar’s eyes narrowed. She was staring him down, perhaps measuring his resolve in his threat of piracy. Truth be told, was unsure as to whether he’d go through with it or not, but he needed the leverage that physical possession would provide him.<
br />
  “Captain,” Rashar started, breaking the silence. “When you return with my cargo, you will have your proof.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  November 6, 2832

  15:00

  Mjöllnir - War Room

  HE COULD NOT FAULT them for the skeptical looks he saw staring back at him. Under most circumstances this level of open conflict might indicate a problem within the chain of command. Cody had to admit there might be something to that. Perhaps he was too trusting, too eager to see the best in those around him even when every circumstance told him to run like the wind. But he could not blame them for their reactions to this development.

  “I have a copy of Rashar’s intelligence. It includes Verasai data transmissions. I ran the analysis myself and matched the transmission protocol coding to what we have in the database. As far as I can tell, it’s valid.”

  Melor sighed. “May I see the data, Captain?”

  He slid the tablet across the table to his engineer. Melor took it and pulled up the data and after only a few seconds, her face fell. “It is legit, Captain. These orders came from my mother. I recognize the short hand she is using. She developed it back in her days in the underground. These are her orders. She’s rallying forces and preparing an offensive. They’ll be here in three and a half alliance standard days, give or take five minutes.”

  “We should pull out and head home,” Cassie said. “If the conflict between the Remali and Verasai is about to come to a head, I don’t think we want any part of it.”

  “We’re not leaving yet.”

  “Why not?”

  He braced himself for what was to come. “Rashar needs a favor.”

  “Oh, you have got to be kidding...”

  Cody raised his hand, cutting his sister off in mid-thought. “The convoy we were sent to meet was scheduled to resupply at one of their emergency depots and then bring their cargo to Surahan. Given that is no longer an option and that we are closest to the depot, Rashar has asked us to complete their mission.”

  Cassie and Melor stared at him in silence, Cassie’s eyes drove daggers into him. “I understand your concerns and I do concern them. Rashar has provided us all the access codes we will need on board the station. This is an easy detour for this ship, one that completes a mission we had been asked to assist with in the first place, and poses very little risk to this ship and crew.”

  “Tell that to Marcus Foster,” Cassie muttered.

  Ouch. Cody stiffened at that but held his composure. As much as he hated to admit it, her point was valid. But he had committed to this. As commanding officer, it was his right and he took comfort in the knowledge that Foster would have supported him keeping his word, and would have wanted Amado to ensure that the loss of life on the convoy had not been in vain.

  “There are humanitarian concerns here.”

  All attention turned to Nira. “The medical supplies alone could save hundreds if not thousands of lives. That station is falling apart and cannot be the healthiest environment. Hell, I’m surprised that disease isn’t more of an issue than it appears to be. They will also need food and provisions for the trip to wherever it is they are being evacuated to. Again, Surahan station is strapped. We don’t know how well those ships are stocked, granted. But at the same time, in this case more is better.”

  “Which is why I have agreed to this request,” Cody continued. “Rashar has already told me there are weapons stockpiled on Kelten and I have told her in no uncertain terms that we will not load one crate of Remali weapons on board this ship. Further, assuming there is sufficient time and she is able to sufficiently explain the connection between her people and the Ralgon, I have agreed that she may use this ship for refugee transport. However, this ship will not enter the fight unless it is fired upon and must defend itself. I have made this explicitly clear to the General as well.”

  He was met with silence.

  “If you wish to formally object to my choice of mission while on detached duty, you all keep logs.” He looked at his officers one by one. “You are free to make your objections there. I will also make similar notes of your objections in my own log. That being said, the evidence we have connecting the Ralgon to the Remali remains circumstantial at best. Until we find damning evidence, and even after that, I will not ignore humanitarian needs. Yes, the Ralgon attack against us, shook us up and we lost good people.”

  He allowed himself a look in Cassie’s direction. “But we knew the risk. It is unfortunate we were hit and the loss of life cannot be replaced. That alone is also not enough to damn the Remali. Cassie, lay in the vectors and get us there to the Remali supply station. While we’re on route, coordinate with Nira and compare the supply list to the specifications and inventories Rashar gave us. Map out our path through the station itself. Aler, upload the security codes Rashar gave us into our computers. Melor, clear me every square meter of cargo space you can. Any questions?”

  Silence.

  “Then we’re adjourned.”

  His officers rose to their feet even though he remained seated. But as the rest filed out, Cassie held her place behind her chair.

  “I have a favor to ask.”

  This was something new. In recent years, Cassie had never asked; only demanded. The attitude had grown tiresome long ago and Cody had learned to tune her out which, in retrospect, stood as one of the likely causes for the rift which had grown between them.

  “What would that be?”

  “I understand the humanitarian concerns and I know how much those issues weigh on you. But at the same time, I would ask…” She kept her voice low and neutral, non-confrontational. “That you not trust them blindly. I admit their intentions may not be hostile. With the Verasai coming, that station has turned into a major liability for them. But at the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to be caught off-guard.”

  Cody offered a slow nod. “I don’t trust them blindly. I can’t.” He steepled his fingers. “But at the same time, Cassie, I see in them something I do trust. I don’t believe they were responsible for what happened at the convoy and I don’t believe Rashar intends us harm. But at the same time, I know the General’s priorities are not our own and given the choice, she would further her own goals before ours.”

  Cassie’s head lifted slightly, but he stopped her before she could respond.

  “But can we honestly say that we would do any different if we were in her position?” He smiled knowingly. “Of course not. Risk is a part of the game, especially where trust is involved. But it’s a risk we have to take.”

  Cassie nodded in agreement.

  “So, how do we minimize that risk?”

  Cody smiled. “My quarters, tomorrow morning, oh-eight-hundred.”

  November 7, 2832

  08:30

  Mjöllnir - Captain’s Quarters

  IN THE FIVE years of their marriage, Nira had never seen Cody so at ease in the presence of his sister. Even when they first met, back in Cody’s academy days, Cassie had always been a source of tension for him. In the early days, it had manifested itself as an intense sibling rivalry. While the dynamic was normal for almost any siblings, it always struck Nira that Cassie had taken the struggle for dominance to a new level. For Cody, the back-and-forth had always been more of a friendly competition. Something to motivate him, but not a mantra by which to live.

  During the war, the inevitable growth in tension increased as Cody’s career took him to strategic operations where he had found success. Throughout his assignment, Cody had been given increasingly more responsibility and excelled. Under normal circumstances it might have seemed that he accelerated quickly, but the war demanded a high quantity of strategic talent so when the Alliance brass saw his potential, they were quick to seize on it.

  Cassie, on the other hand, had seen the horrors of the war first-hand. Her main posting had been to one of the strategic bases along the fringe of Alliance controlled space. Given its location, the base had been big, almost five thousand souls posted
and she found it difficult to stand out amongst a crowd that large. Her performance reviews had always been above satisfactory and her advancement and promotions had always remained on track to the established norm. Nira could only imagine the frustration Cassie must have felt, watching her brother, two years her junior, advance through the chain of command so fast that she stood still by comparison Nira could only imagine the frustration she must have felt. The Siege of Sol had also not helped.

  Cody’s strategy had been simple and working with his sister should have been a blessing, not the nightmare it had turned into. Cassie had never forgiven him for re-tasking the air support that had been assigned to cover her position during the siege. Cody had seen the Ralgon sneaking into the system to attack the civilian refugee convoy. He had made the right call and saved the convoy. But it had cost him his sister.

  She recalled the many sleepless nights she spent sitting up with Cody as he rambled on, trying to make sense of what he perceived as Cassie’s irrational behavior. She recalled the anti-depressants he had taken, and the many nights he spent at her hospital bed while she recovered, never saying a single word to him. For Cody, diverting the fleet had been hard enough. Getting her back had been almost worse and in those days Nira never would have expected them to get along at all.

  Time, it seemed, had other plans and while the wounds of the past had not been fully healed, Nira was somewhat relieved to see that at least they had scarred over. Shouting matches and circular arguments had finally matured into resolution through conversational logic and a shared desire for their common goal. It was as if the two child siblings had been replaced overnight by a pair of mature and rational adults. About damn time. She moved from the kitchen to the living room, where Cody and Cassie had spread out tablets, charts and documents as the poured over the details if the supply run to Kelten. Seeing her coming with breakfast in hand, Cody cleared her a space to set the plates and allow them to eat.

  “I’ll get out of your way. Let me know if you need anything else.”